getting on to do something

Question

i read that ir + gerund can be translated as to get to do something.

I do not understand why would getting on to do something be related to the concept of doing something bit by bit, gradually?

Would getting on to do something more like getting ready to do something using estar para, estar por?

Answer

Hola Ashlyn
ir + gerund can also have that connotation of "getting on with something", for example, if you use it with the imperative it sometimes has that nuance:

Yo voy pelando las patatas y tú vas cortando los pimientos. 
I get on with peeling the potatoes and you get on with chopping the peppers.

This gives that sense of progression too. 
Saludos